The Sound of Drums and The Answers in His Eyes
by Industrialmonk
Summary: The Doctor would have done anything to see Rose again, but this…this was not what he expected. (Pre-season 4) Pictures avaliable on my wordpress. Rated M for lanauge, adult themes and light sexual content. Rose/Doctor/Master
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Doctor Who world, which is trademarked by BCC. I do not own any of characters, (although I wish I owned David Tennant) and I do not claim any ownership over them. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Answers in His Eyes** – The Doctor would have done anything to see Rose again, but this…this was not what he expected. (Pre-season 4) Rose/Doctor/Master

_**Chapter One**_

_ The streets of London were uncommonly crowded at 1:25am, music hanging in the air from the nearby pubs being drown out by the late-night drinkers, reluctant to give up that last few moments of the election celebrations. Paper cups and streamers littered the streets, but were quickly swept away from the gust of hurried footsteps of one hurried individual. Head held high, long legs striding with a determined pace, hands clenched into tight fists causing a tight tension in the shoulder's, adorned perfectly in a fitted dark suit. The tails of his trench coat whistling behind him. The excited festival streets becoming thinner and thinner with each step until the party-goers and bustling shops were behind him, the street lamps the only beacon that lit his way until those too went dark. _

_Closer and closer he comes, his face masked in darkness yet his urgency clear in his movements. He begins to run. His frame is becoming bigger and bigger, his footsteps pounding on the dark cobblestone and echoing down the now quiet streets. His chest heaving up and down as his legs push him faster.. So close. His jaw held tight from the grinding of his teeth as propels himself into a full on sprint. Finally he jerks to a stop, his face coming into focus slowly. His breath comes in quick puffs as his mouth opens slightly as if in wonder, his hair pointing every which way and that, wind-blown and hanging slightly over his eyes. His face melts in defeat as his shoulders sag. Those brown swirling eyes, deep and probing in panic as if asking, begging for answers. _

_His eyes._

_Those dark eyes, filling with sadness and longing, so close to the edge of ultimate despair it pained one to look at them. _

_He takes a step forward and tentatively reaches out, his fingers shaking slightly. His lip mouthing something before his voice breaks out a single strangled word._

"_Rose."_

* * *

Rose bolted awake, her skin thick and shining with sweat.

That dream. It was that dream again, with that man…That man and his eyes. Rose shivered and wrapped her arms around her knees, snapping her eyes shut and begging for the image of those eyes to fade. What did he want with her? Why did she keep having these dreams? Sighing, she uncoiled herself and stood, wrapping herself in her favorite dark red robe. She knew she would have to tell The Doctor she had another vision of him. He would not be pleased. Or perhaps he would, it was always hard to tell when this dream man was concerned. Whoever this man was he seemed to throw The Doctor's emotions more than anyone else.

Reluctantly standing, Rose made her way to The Doctor's temporary office, finding him leaning over the paper strew desk, still in his suit. At the noise of her shuffling feet, The Doctor turned and smiled.

"Ah! Rose! You're here!" Rose smiled wearily. "Trouble sleeping, love?" The Doctor approached her, arms outstretched. He put his hands on her temples, worry furrowing his brow.  
"Jus' a bit… I-I had that dream again…about that man." The worry left his eyes, replaced instead with a sickening anger.

"What happened?" He all but sneered.

"Nothin'! Just…Same ol' dark haired man…same ol'… oh, I dunno…" She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. It was always hard telling him about the dreams, and about the man. She was never sure how he would react. "There were his eyes, though…they seemed so…sad. What you reckon that means, Doctor?"

The Doctor turned away, exhaling as he began to pace. He remained silent for a while, his shoes padding on the carpeted floor as walked left and right, his thoughts turned inward. After a few moments, he stopped and looked up at Rose.

"I think, Rose Tyler, that we'll have a guest arriving soon." He grinned as he said this, his eyes flashing with excitement.  
"You mean…he's comin'? That man...The one from my dreams? ...The Master?" Fear crawled up her throat as she almost gasped out his name. The Doctor stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her.

"You have nothing to fear. I'm here. I'm going to stop him." Rose barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before there was a knock at the door. Trish, the assistant, stepped in. "We have to get you ready for your address to the nation, Prime Minister, sir." She looked towards Rose in her gown and robe and blushed slightly before averting her gaze. "Lady."

The Doctor held out his hand. "Well, First Lady, are you ready to change the world?" Rose grinned and grabbed hold of his outstretched hand. "As ready as you are, John Tyler." The Doctor smiled in response before pulling her in for a passionate kiss.

* * *

"Time travel without a capsule…That's a killer!" The Doctor cracked his neck before righting himself and heading towards the busy street, Captain Jack and Martha close behind.

Posters were plastered everywhere, people humming and buzzing about, wearing election shirts and happily chirping on their phones.

"Hang on…We missed the election." Martha stopped and slowly looked around. "But it can't be." Before she could say anything further, a broadcast sounded over the crowd, a huge television positioned at the intersection.

"John Tyler has returned from his stay at the Palace…"

"I told you I heard that voice before! I've seen him! We all have!" Martha began to ramble, her astonishment getting the best of her. "That was the voice of John Tyler."

"That's him." The Doctor said grimly. "He's Prime Minister…The Master is Prime Minster of Great Britain."

The image on the teleprompter changed, showing a pink-skinned blonde, laughing, standing dangerously close to the man on the screen. Before going further, the Prime Minister stopped, grinning and pulled her in close, his lips crashing into hers as she gave a surprised squeal.

The Doctor stood, taking it all in…His jaw fell slack, his eyes wide. "Rose." Something inside him broke, came rushing out as he whispered her name over and over again. "Rose…Rose Rose Rose….It can't be…It just…can't."

The kiss on the screen seemed to go on forever before John Tyler broke it and grinned sheepishly at the camera, his eyes challenging. Teeth and fists clenched The Doctor regained whatever composure he could before breaking into a sprint, heading towards the Parliament with no plan in mind. He only knew he had to get to the Parliament, to stop The Master, to find out what his motives were and why his Rose was there and to get her back.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer**: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Doctor Who world, which is trademarked by BCC. I do not own any of characters, (although I wish I owned David Tennant) and I do not claim any ownership over them. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

**Chapter Two:**

"You didn't have to snog me in front of everyone on live television." Rose said, half irritated, half embarrassed.

"Oh you liked it. Besides, the whole world already knows you're my wife." John Tyler smirked before turning back to the papers that were on the desk.

"Yeah…I suppose so…The media had a hoot when they found out you took my last name though, didn't they?" She walked up behind him to where he was sitting and wrapped her arms around his neck. "_John Tyler_."

He turned, pulling her into his lap before nuzzling her neck. "It sounded better then John Smith though, didn't it?" Rose let out a happy little sigh at the feel of his lips on the nape of her neck. His hand snaked up her leg to her stomach, lightly playing with the edges of her shirt. Rose pushed him away slightly. "When will the TARDIS be fixed, Doctor? It's been over a year now…Not that I mind…Being here…with you…Married." He raised an eyebrow, holding his tongue until she continued. "I mean, you said you needed access to the Parliament to gain access to the Archangel network…to the Toclafane…to generate enough power to revive her…But what if…what if it doesn't work?" Rose's eyes threatened to pool over with tears as she grabbed his shoulders to stop herself from shaking.

"It will work."

"Yeah…But what if it doesn't, ya know? You did all this, just to bring me back from that parallel universe…used the TARDIS…almost killed her….What if it doesn't work? What if the TARDIS is dead because of me?" She put her head in her hands and sobbed lightly, unable to stop herself from the overwhelming guilt that overcame and shook her.

"Shh…It's fine. It will work…and if it doesn't…Well…at least I have my Rose back, right?" Her Doctor pulled her hands from her face and kissed the knuckles. "And you know what Rose? It was worth it. You were worth it." She smiled weakly before leaning in, pulling her hands away from his and running them through his short blonde hair.

* * *

"Doctor! Hey Doctor! Wait up!" Jack rushed after him, Martha struggling behind.

The Doctor stopped and looked around, his hands fisting his hair in frustration as he spun around in circles, trying to gain his bearings. The world around him became a swirl of nonsense, noises blurring into one muted distant sound, until the only thing he could hear were the pounding of his hearts in his ears. Jack grabbed him by the shoulder and steadied him, pulling him back into reality.

"Doc…" Jack struggled to form words and regain his breath at the same time. "I thought you said…That Rose was safe…in a parallel universe."

"She was. I don't know how she got here. She shouldn't be here. It should have ripped a hole in both of the universes! This doesn't make any sense! It's impossible!" He released the fistful of hairs on his head and dragged his hands down to his face, slumping to the ground in defeat. "Oh Rose…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."

Jack leaned down to him, wrapping his arm around The Doctor's shoulder. "Hey, relax. We'll figure this out. There has to be an explanation."

Martha shifted her feet uncomfortably. "So that's Rose, huh? The one I've _always_ been hearin' about?" She tried to bite back the bitterness in her voice but failed miserably.

"Yes. Yes that's Rose." The Doctor replied, head still buried in his hands.

"Well there's no sense bumming around here moanin' about. C'mon, my flat's nearby."

Sullenly The Doctor stood and followed Martha and Jack down the street, his mind reeling with the impossibilities…and with the very dark and very heartbreaking possibilities.

* * *

"Tell me, whatcha got? Computer, laptop, anything!" The Doctor barely avoided barreling over Martha in his effort to get inside and find something, anything, that would explain why in the world Rose was here…with The Master. Popping his glasses on, he took a quick look around the flat before finding what he needed. Jack swiped the computer before The Doctor could lay a hand on it.

"I can show you the John Tyler website, but it hasn't got anything on Rose. I would have noticed, I would have known. I'm sure of it."

"John Tyler has been around forever." Martha stood helplessly in her living room, looking at the two men bending over the tiny laptop screen. "She just hit the news last month…Popped outta nowhere, she did. No one even knew about her until she married that bloke."

The Doctor stiffened and slowly stood. "Married?" Martha looked on speechless, biting her lip in worry. He took a threatening step closer. "What did you say, Martha? What were you talking about?" She could only look on, frozen with fear.

"MARTHA! WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" He grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her from the anger in his voice.

"YES! YES!...yes…" She choked out. Closing her eyes she steadied herself and took a breath. "Last month. They were very quiet about it…Never said her name or nothing. Not until he changed his last name from Smith to Tyler cuz of her."

The Doctor searched her eyes for once begging that his companion was lying to him, trying to catch any sort of insincerity in her voice. Sighing he released her shoulders and turned.

"Find anything, Jack?"

"It says here Rose Tyler went missing after Canary Wharf and was pronounced dead…that is until John Tyler, previously known as John Smith, announced his marriage to her about a month ago…Apparently the records were considered 'inaccurate' and were changed, no questions asked."

The Doctor grabbed the back of Jacks chair and leaned over. "What else?"

"That's it. She appeared outta nowhere, got married and is now the Great Britain's First Lady." He grind his teeth at the thought. Wife. His wife! It wasn't possible…It just…wasn't…

"Doctor…I thought you said Rose was trapped in an alternate universe. How can she be here? Now?"

"Maybe it's not her, maybe it's a hologram or somethin'." Martha bit her lip, trying her best to give The Doctor any sort of hope to cling onto.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Running his hands through his hair he paced the room. "How did he even know about Rose?"

"Accessed the TARDIS files?" Jack quipped helpfully.

"No…When he was stealing the TARDIS the only thing I could do was freeze the coordinate and lock the system. He could only travel between the year 100 trillion and the last place the TARDIS landed. Which is right here, right now. Well give or take 12 months…18 months tops."

"Well that rules out kidnapping Rose from the past then."

"I was gonna vote for him."

"Yeah….me too…" Martha and Jack eyes unfocused, dazing out as if lost in a dream.

"The Master has always been hypnotic, but this is on a massive scale." The Doctor jumped up, an idea popping into his head, and popping his companions out of theirs. "That's it! Rose must be being tricked! If we could just reverse the perception filter The Master casted on himself then Rose will see him for who he really is! Brilliant!"

"Uhh Doctor? What about the rest of us?" Jack gestured towards Martha and himself. "I mean he's got the whole world believing he's this John Tyler guy."

He nodded, ignoring the captain and side-stepping Martha to grab his coat. "Of course, right..." His companions exchanged looks. They both knew he wasn't acting himself, unfocused and not seeing the bigger problem. As he headed towards the door a strange beeping erupted from the laptop.

"Doctor! wait! It's him! The Master is sending out an emergency broadcast!"

* * *

Rose gasped, almost hyperventilating over the shock of Mrs. Robinson. "Oh..Oh but she knew! She knew, Doctor! She knew everythin'! If she's asking questions, then who ,you reckon, else knows? Who else?" She began to shake, those dark brown eyes staring in the back of her consciousness drawing shivers up her spine. "You said…you said he wouldn't find us. You said we just needed to blend in…to gain everyone's trust…to get the help of the Toclafane…for the TARDIS…The Master… to save everyone…and now…now…Oh Doctor, she knew!"

He pulled her into an embrace, kissing her forehead and smoothing back her hair. "Shhh, it will be alright, love. Everything is set for tomorrow…we just need until tomorrow."

"Do you think…do you think he'll find us, Doctor? That man? The Master?" Rose buried her head into his chest, stifling her tears and trying to remain strong for The Doctor that was always being so strong for her. She had been crying a lot lately and she didn't quite know why…perhaps it was him. That man…the one that haunted her dreams. The Master and his eyes.

"Yes. Yes, Rose. He's coming." He pushed her back so he could peer into her eyes. "But I swear to you, I'm going to protect you. I won't let him come near you." She nodded.

"What's going to happen to Mrs. Robinson? We can't let her go…She'll ruin everything."

Releasing his wife, 'The Doctor' adjusted his tie and grabbed the doorknob. "I'll handle her."

"You won't hurt her…will you?"

" 'Course not! I'll just put her to sleep for a bit ya?…Tell everyone she's feeling a bit under the weather…" Closing the door on Rose, he turned to silence this infuriating reporter, grinning in anticipation. He only hoped her screams wouldn't be too loud, less Rose would hear.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Doctor Who world, which is trademarked by BCC. I do not own any of characters, (although I wish I owned David Tennant) and I do not claim any ownership over them. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

**Chapter Three:**

"Let them go, Tyler! Do you hear me! Let them go!" Martha screamed into the cell phone on the brink of tears. Her warnings for her brother falling short as The Master crashed her call, taunting her. The Doctor grabbed the phone from her shaking hands as Jack steadied her.

"I'm here. What do you want? What have you done with Rose?"

"Doctor" The Master breathed into the phone, relishing in the pain and worry in his nemesis's voice.

"Answer me! What have you done to Rose? Let her go, she's got nothing to do with this." The Master merely chuckled.

"I haven't done anything. I don't know what you mean, _Doctor_."

"Let her go. Let her go right now, Master."

He breathed into the phone, letting out a sigh of pleasure. "I love it when you use my name."

"You chose it. Psychiatrist's field day."

"As you chose yours. The man who makes people better. How sanctimonious is that? Tell me Doctor, how does it feel to be so helpless and useless as to save the one person you care so deeply for?"

"Stop it. Stop this now. We could leave this planet, you and I."

"Are you asking me out on a date, Doctor? I'm afraid I'll have to decline…I'm a bit… _involved_ at the moment."

The Doctor was beginning to get desperate, he knew he was in a losing battle of words against The Master, his hearts in his throats as he thought of anything he could to save Earth, but most of all to save Rose.

"We could fight across the constellations, but not here, not on Earth."

"Too late." He paused. "Oh look you're on TV! You're on the telly! You and You and your little band, which, by the way, is ticking every demographic box. So, congratulations on that. Look, there you are. You're public enemies number one, two and three. So you better start running. Go on run. Run for your life!"

And they did.

* * *

Martha returned to their dirty yet temporary camp under a bridge underpass, bearing food.

"Anything new?" She asked hopefully, looking towards The Doctor.

"I've got this thing tuned into every government wavelength so we can keep track of what John Tyler is doing."

"Yeah, I meant about my family."

"It says here that Rose Tyler's family went missing during the Canary Wharf incident so it doesn't look like he's gotten Jackie."

Martha shook with anger, nearly throwing the food onto the ground before Jack reached over and caught it. Clenching her fists she strode over to The Doctor, his gaze intently fixed on the laptop before him, hardly noticing her presence.

"Doctor." He didn't acknowledge her. "I said: DOCTOR!"

He jumped a bit and looked up at his companion before receiving an earth shattering 'SLAP'. Jack cringed before turning away and eating a few pieces of cold chips, coming to the realization that The Doctor, at this point in time, obviously deserved it.

"That's my family they got, Doctor. And you better start taking it seriously instead of having your head all filled with this Rose girl." She sat down defeated, putting her head in her hands. "I mean, what is it with you lately? You aren't focusing on the bigger picture…you know...the whole saving the world thing? Did you just forget that there are other things at steak other than your past companion?"

Everyone was quiet, the only sound was the breathy intakes of Martha as she attempted to calm down.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Martha. You're right. You're absolutely right." The Doctor jumped up taking Martha and Jack by surprise. "If we can cancel out his perception then everyone will see him for who he really is."

"But how are we going to do that, Doctor" Jack replied, his mouth partly full of chips.

He winked in response. "You'll see. Let's get to work!"

* * *

The Doctor acting as Prime Minister of Britain; Rose could hardly imagine it. He never did anything so…so human. So domestic. Well as domestic as staying in one spot for more than five minutes let alone eighteen months. Things really did change in her absence; she only hoped it wasn't because of her that things changed. The Doctor…tied down and not traveling all of time and space; stuck on one planet, living day after day on the slow track. She hardly minded it, as different as it was for The Doctor, but how she missed her mum and Pete and hell, even Mickey. She hoped they were okay and not freaking out too badly over her disappearance. Truth be told, however much it hurt her to admit it, there was no other place she rather be than by The Doctor's side.

Side by side staring down the President of the United States however, was a different story.

"Have you met the wife?" The Doctor gently ushered her forward, presenting her before the most powerful man in the United States.

"Mister Saxon, I'm not sure what your game is but there are provisions at the United Nations to have you removed from office unless you are very, very careful. Is that understood?"

She nudged him discretely trying to stop from gaping at him as he mimicked locking his lips.

"Are you taking this seriously, Prime Minister?" The President demanded. He nodded comically.

"Right, off to business."

The discussion between her husband and president, began to fade away as the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. Rose felt unbalanced as if there were some force keeping her from concentrating. It was dizzying, and her mind began to ache. Before she knew it the president was returning to his aircraft and she had no idea what her doctor had just agreed to.

"Well that was easy! We should be on the valiant before the hour. How about a kiss for your brilliant husband?" Rose shook herself into focusing.

"What? Oh yes…Of course." She had no idea why 'The Doctor' was being so affectionate lately, especially in public. It wasn't like him or her for that matter, to flaunt around their marriage. She didn't mind so much, it's just that he had gotten so unpredictable (well more unpredictable) that she hardly had time to –

His lips descended on hers, his hands snaking to her temples before everything went black.

* * *

The Doctor shook with anger as he watched the scene unfold. Here he was, The Master presenting Rose as his wife and showing her off like some piece of candy. And yet…it seemed like she was uncomfortable…shaking her head back and forth and even from a distance The Doctor could tell she was in pain. She looked around as if she sensed they were there, although it was nearly impossible with their newly made TARDIS key perception filters. But what hurt more was the fear she held that lie so very close to the surface. The way she bit her lip and glanced around nervously, squeezing The Master's hand for comfort. It drove him mad.

"Easy there, tiger." Jack put an arm out, stopping The Doctor from charging The Master and tearing his hand away from Rose's.

When the president made his retreat, The Master looked at Rose in the eye with such unmasked maliciousness though she hardly noticed, still lost in her fear and thoughts. She was abruptly pulled into The Master as he roughly pushed his lips against hers. She looked shocked as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she promptly collapsed in his arms. The Master merely threw her helpless body to one of his guards before turning and welcoming his recently arrived prisoners; Martha's family. Jack could hardly contain his two friends as they both shook with rage and frustration.

"Let me go, Jack! They have my family!"

"Stop it! Both of you! Do you want to break the spell and alert The Master we're here?!"

They both stopped, their eyes both locked on the people they cared so deeply for; Martha's parents fighting against their captors and her ferocious sister spitting out swears and kicking whatever guard came close, and Rose, lying unconscious, thrown into the arms of a nearby bodyguard as if she was just another piece of garbage.

"Just get me on that ship, Jack."

Jack knew better than to argue.


End file.
